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HR and Communication Thoughts: Heartless Business?

THE HR PATH: FROM POWERFUL AND LONELY TO JOLLY BUSINESS PARTNER

Do you remember that Spiderman amusingly dramatic phrase: "With great power comes great responsibility" ? We are closing the first quarter of the year, and it's usually time for rolling-out changes. Time for reviews, dreaded annual chats, result celebration, and follow-up or carrying-out of policy changes and/or new directives implementation. HR is at the heart of those actions. Neutral and Stoic. Passionate employees could argue that HR is at best passive, at worst heartless.Interestingly enough, the Spiderman movie quote would stem from a discourse from the French Parliament in the late 1700s. Well, that was "pour la petite histoire" (a side note), but seriously, who does not remember that HR is known for being the villain, evil, or who knows what else.We would like to describe ourselves as objective and neutral. In reality, HR people are stoic rather than heartless. Neil Gorsuch stoically expressed that struggle for ethical independence during his congressional hearing (some might disagree). It shows how some professions, if you want to be true to them and believe in them, just like in HR, call for some sort of bravery.

HR is also a lonely job: you usually do not make friends; it is public knowledge. Employees know the HR door: a dreaded one that employees would rather avoid. But believe it or not, chances are that HR is also unknown to some of the employees, even in small units of large organizations, because as HR functions have been shifted to managers, and as HR has become more of a business partner, the "face" of HR has somehow eclipsed to the shadows. I know for a fact that in many businesses, employees do not know who is "HR", not by name and much less by face. Truthfully, do many of them care? They have their managers to report to, and that's all that is needed at so many levels. Moreover, digitization of HR is bringing a new approach to HR: mobile-friendly, easier to reach, and yet less personable. I guess, it is the cost of the new trend. HR has to take care of the people in a different fashion: by taking care of the business, and by "feeding" the business.

A question surfaces however: how many HR out there are actually ready for this shift? HR might have been a lonely job, but it felt powerful to many. And now, it's time to shed away from that false sense of power and bring HR to new lights.

HR TODAY: PARTNERSHIP, BUSINESS, AND COMMUNICATION

Communication is a big deal, so to speak. I am convinced that one of the most powerful functions in any given organization is Communication. Although Communication is about "Human connection and establishing a relationship of trust" , it is also about "getting" the message, and sending it out in an adequate way, branding the organization. Communication, at many levels, impacts internal culture and external perception of culture. It can build engagement or destroy trust. It can lead to a flux of good hires or result in a revolving door.

I am a strong believer in the linkage between HR and Communication. A good HR these days is a good Communicator in a sense that one needs to listen, understand and share information about the environment that shapes the business. It requires EQ, yes, but most of all, it requires a sense of strategy, a holistic approach to HR and business. The strong correlation between HR and business leads to Communication as the tool to make things happen, to bring the story out in the open. This is a time to elevate HR beyond mere application, or simple interpretation, of policies. Communication calls for thorough understanding of business, analysis, and strategic sharing of information. Could comedian Hasan Minhaj be mentionned for his recent performance at the correspondents' dinner? (pick up the bones and take it with a grain of salt if you must). Basically, a few points to gather:

Partner with the CEO/Leadership: volunteer your efforts. You know your HR issues, you have a hint of the solutions needed, go ahead and put your foot forward;

Know the business: what are the issues - internal and external -, who are the stakeholders, how can you wrap your thoughts and actions around opportunities and challenges?

Know your audience, internal and external: this will shape in large part your message delivery

Life teaches us lessons in leadership on a global and personal scale as well, and branding is closely linked to leadership, as much as branding relies on communication. Lights on leadership can be dimmed or brightened depending on how communication is managed. It has been a challenging year to say the least, with its heavy share of highs and lows. So what life lessons can we take on this season of lights?

COMMUNICATION: A CHANGED GAME THAT IS A GAME CHANGERIt is no secret: times have changed in pace and depth; with societal changes - call it evolution or revolution as you want - we face extremely challenging situations. The older we are, the harder it is - no age discrimination intended - because the fact is that we have "learnt" and operated under different societal rules. Who says that change is easy? With the #meetoo -now global movement-, #green initiatives to say the least, and social media explosion, the communication game is trickier day by day. Communication is not a…

In the world of HR we are both actors and observers. We see candidates and hiring managers coming, going and acting. We see the biases, hear the comments, weigh the outputs. However we gravitated to our jobs, we usually love them. Are we the best at them? As hiring managers, do we evaluate ourselves? Let's have a quick assessment. When a candidate showed up for an interview, as I walked into my office while she was waiting I wondered what to think. How many hiring managers and HR people make - consciously or not- their decision based on that first impression? Too many! How many divulge their opinion on their facial expression? One too many.
Here is the story: everyday story of so many hiring managers and candidates. Let's begin with Betty and her most unconventional look. Definitely punk with polished efforts for the interview. Still punk, correct? 1. OBSERVE: DO NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS BASED ON A FIRST IMPRESSION"Unfit" look could be a Terrific Fit. Betty exhibited a …

Enrollment time: Hot topic lately. Also, popular among all talks these last few years has been the topic ofHealthcare and benefits. Consequently,benefits have slowly but surely taken a new path in HR, apparentlymimicking those offered globally.
Eye Opening Chart: Who Stands out? Looking at benefits on a wide scale, we know that they are, in fact,particular to each country. Theydiffer widelyfrom country to country. In fact, even the most common benefits among developed economies are far from being equal: Denmark and France are on top of the chart while Ireland and the U.S. are at the bottom, ranking respectively 7.3 and and 7.2 vs. 2.3 and 0.3 on a scale score of most to least generous, the U.S being a benchmark (Llewellyn Consulting Feb 2016 report). Different societies, different standards. Check it out here. Evidently, Europe is always leading but do other countries stand out as well? One could mistakenly think that benefits are quasi-non-existent in less developed countries. Nothi…

Let's talk about gamification quickly: it works! There is one condition sine qua non however: the employee has to be willing to play the game! As simple as that!
Players have to tend themselves to the rules of the game, whether they are willing participants or not. True! Pushed far enough, it could be - or is - the new way to metrics. As a result, employees will find themselves following the rules of the game. Scorecard goals can be reached through team games. It has been happening in many large organizations, and even on Wall Street. The most interesting thing in gamification is that you can be drawn into it without knowing or willing! It is easy because games can be engaging, and there is the whole purpose of gamification.

Dramatic and Provocative? Ladies, is it all about You? Is it All About Us? This is a subject that has been "bothering" me for a while. I have encountered so many women in my professional life, and the experience has been enriching, to say the least. I came to the conclusion that the recent article of Chitra Nayak summs it all: The Invisible Woman Syndrome is the issue. On the opposite side there is charisma

Here we are stepping into January 2014, and the healthcare subject is of a major concern to employees and employers alike. Until now, decisions on eligibility for voluntary
benefits has been the employer's prerogative. Health benefits were by
essence not a mandated benefit.

By now, large employers have already rolled out their programs and made necessary addition to their benefits staff. Individuals who wanted coverage to start with the new year have already filed their applications. It is somewhat different for smaller employers since their mandate on Healthcare coverage requirements is being delayed.

In any event, here are a few key points as a reminder or a reference for those of us who still need it.

It is out there: many claim the new evidence-, competency-based HR model, the all new HR look, feel and sign of recognition.

It has generated a lot of waves in the HR community. The general feeling was one of disbelief, if not outrage. How did this happen?I had a previous post on the topic. Aren't we a body of professionals to be recognized under a global umbrella? Why did SHRM and HRCI split? If we have not experienced it at the personal level, we felt it at the professional one: we all the sudden became members of a dysfunctional family! Did we see it happen? Did our parents organizations see it coming? The results are the same. We have been facing the change for some time now and we had three choices: reject, ignore, or embrace it. The stages of grief are painstaking, but after all, we are professionals. We ARE HR, so we can individually say, "Je suis HR" under the new competency-based model.

Was HR FROZEN in Time?SHRM calls the new model the "HR of the Future&quo…

Matrix of Human Resource Management, Communication, and HR Marketing in Service Industry - Branding and Global Insights. Passionate about Integrated HRM and Communication, and Change. Connects the dots between People, HR and business to make and tell the story- @AR_HRCom